Barbie® Doll to Unveil a “New Face” on Her 50th Birthday with Unveiling of the 2009 Bathing Suit Barbie® Doll

MALIBU, Calif. --(Business Wire)-- Mar 04, 2009 On Monday, March 9th, 50 years to the day she was first introduced at New York Toy Fair in her now famous black-and-white striped bathing suit, Barbie® will reveal an entirely new look with the unveiling of the 2009 Black-and-White Bathing suit doll.

Designed as a modern interpretation of the original 1959 doll, the new Bathing Suit Barbie® doll unveils a brand new face sculpt for Barbie® doll. Additionally, the new doll – to be revealed at midnight on Monday, March 9th – will have a throwback price, sold at Barbie® doll’s 1959 price of $3 for one week (March 9-14 at participating retailers).

Also on Monday, Barbie® will celebrate her 50th birthday with a major pink-carpet celebrity birthday bash at a REAL Barbie® Malibu Dream House® – a 3,500 square foot house in Malibu decorated by famed “Happy Chic” interior designer Jonathan Adler. With features such as skirted, corseted, lace-up “dress” chairs, a chandelier made of Barbie® hair, a closet filled with thousands of shoes, a sunburst mirror made from 65 Barbie® dolls, and a garage that includes a real Barbie® Volkswagen New Beetle car (all pink with a motorized, pop up vanity in the trunk), the house brings to life all the fantasy and fashion of Barbie® in a real modern day Dream House®.

Barbie® doll’s Malibu Dream House® will play host to several events, most notably, first kicked off with an outrageously pink Barbie® birthday party designed by event-planner-to-the-stars Colin Cowie. Additionally, the house features a Barbie® museum which displays the original 1959 doll and several of the most famous dolls from throughout the years, various Barbie®-size Dream Houses® from throughout the decades and several noteworthy pieces of Barbie® art.

About Mattel
Mattel, Inc., (NYSE: MAT) (www.mattel.com) is the worldwide leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of toys and family products, including Barbie®, the most popular fashion doll ever introduced. The Mattel family is comprised of such best-selling brands as Hot Wheels®, Matchbox®, American Girl®, Radica® and Tyco® R/C, as well as Fisher-Price® brands (www.fisher-price.com), including Little People®, Rescue Heroes®, Power Wheels® and a wide array of entertainment-inspired toy lines. With worldwide headquarters in El Segundo, Calif., Mattel employs more than the 30,000 people in 42 countries and sells products in more than 150 nations throughout the world. Mattel’s vision is to be the world's premier toy brands -- today and tomorrow.